Drop
Tapered at one end and rounded at the other, like a teardrop. Highly valued when the taper is symmetrical.
A drop pearl narrows towards the drill hole and swells at the base. Symmetry is everything: a well-formed drop is a premium shape, a lopsided one is baroque.
The shape suits anything that dangles. Hung from a hook or a bail, the pearl's own taper points the eye downwards.
Large symmetrical drops in South Sea sizes are among the most expensive individual pearls in the market.
When you are buying
For jhumkas, hangings and pendant drops, look for a matched pair or a single well-formed drop rather than the largest available pearl. Symmetry reads as quality far more than size does.
Drop pearl jewellery
22 pieces in the collection right now, from ₹1,200.
Zig zag styled pearl hangings in light pink pearls
Simple Pearl Pendant and Earrings Set
Zig zag styled pearl hangings in american diamonds
Stylish pearl pendant and earrings set 1
Triangular shaped, Pearl Pendant and Earrings Set
Rhombus Shaped Stylish Pearl Pendant Earrings Set
Stunning Pearl Pendant Set made in Korean White Metal
Pearl Pendant Set in Korean White Metal
Pear
A drop with a more pronounced shoulder, wider at the base and distinctly narrow at the top.
Oval
Symmetrically elongated, like an egg. Reads as elegant rather than compromised, and flatters a longer neckline.
Hangings
Earrings that hang below the lobe, as opposed to studs that sit on it. The everyday Indian term for drop earrings.
Baroque
Any pearl with no axis of symmetry. Once treated as a reject, now the shape most associated with contemporary pearl design.